First MECC Students Certified through New Program

In spring 2005, Mountain Empire Community College instated a new program in which students could earn a certificate in Medical Office Coding and Procedures.  The certificate was developed in response to requests from the health care community and is designed to meet the requirements needed for national certification, as well as the needs of local physicians and medical groups by supplying them with coding assistants who have entry-level skills in the areas studied in the curriculum. 

Only a year old, the program's worth is already evident. Last December, the original students in Medical Office Coding and Procedures passed their Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam.

"We are very proud to have had a 100% success rate for the first group of examinees," states Vickie Ratliff, Assistant Professor of Administrative Support Technology (AST) at MECC.  "Nine students sat for the very rigorous five-hour exam, and nine passed."  Students were prepared for the test with a curriculum that provided basics in medical, diagnostic and procedural terminology and coding, medical office procedures, and the reporting of data to third-party players, insurance companies, and government agencies for reimbursement. 

The CPC exam was proctored by the Big Stone Gap chapter of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), which holds four or five meetings per year at MECC.  Ratliff says that these meetings are usually in the form of luncheons and are open to anyone in the medical community.  The meetings may also help attendees earn continuing education credits that are sometimes required of coding personnel.

For more information about the Medical Office Coding and Procedures program at MECC, contact Ratliff at (276) 523-2400, extension 208 or vratliff@me.vccs.edu.  For more information about the AAPC, visit the website at www.aapc.com.

The first group of students who went through the Medical Office Coding and Procedures Program at MECC recently passed their Certified Professional Coder exam.

(Front row, left to right) Angela Worley, Karen Mumpower, and Lillian Slemp

(Back row, left to right) Asst. AST Professor Vickie Ratliff, Kimberly Slemp, Abbie Blair, Jana Barrington, Vivian Rogers, and Anndora Robinette

Not Pictured:  Rhonda Lindsey